2013 Indiana Pacers: Where Are They Now?

The 2012-2013 Indiana Pacers were a really strong team, with a young Paul George, a great Roy Hibbert, an experienced David West and an exceptional young coach Frank Vogel. This team had shocked the world in 2013 when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals and challenged LeBron’s Miami Heat. After finishing with a 49-32 record the Pacers beat the Hawks (4-2) in the first round of the Eastern Conference Finals and advanced to the second round where they beat Melo’s New York Knicks 4-2 and eventually advanced to the East Finals.

The series vs. the Miami Heat was one for the history books as Paul George emerged as an NBA star, coach Vogel showed how good of a coach he can be, Roy Hubbert bullied over smaller defenders and finished inside the paint, but was also a huge factor on the defensive side of the court, and generally the seven games the two teams played were spectacular to watch. The miracle team of 2013 was so close to pulling off one of the greatest upsets in NBA history.

In 2017 however, the Indiana Pacers have lost many of their star players and Larry Bird’s franchise is in a rebuilding process. As they traded away Paul George to the Thunder, the Pacers are already trading for young NBA players who have the potential to be NBA stars in the future (Bojan Bogdanovic, Victor Oladipo, Donatas Sabonis). Furthermore, Fadeaway World brings you the starting five of the 2013 Pacers and where they are now in their basketball careers.

George Hill

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George Hill played an important part in Indiana’s success back in 2013. Right now, in 2017 he is a player of the Utah Jazz. Last year was Hill’s first season with the Jazz, as he was the starting point guard for the Utah franchise. Together with Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert they created a ‘big 3’ that was really good on both sides of the court and led the Jazz to the playoffs and their first-round series win against the Clippers.

The Jazz moreover played against the Warriors in the second round and got swept. However, this was a successful season for Utah and George Hill was a big part of it. In the 49 games he played, he averaged 16.9 points and 4.2 assists per game.

Lance Stephenson

Stephenson and the way he trash talked LeBron James, defended him, try to slow him down and stack the stat sheet in the Eastern Conference Finals were one huge reason as to why the Pacers were playing that good. The mentality he had, the way he tried to defend but also lead the offense sometimes in mid-games, together with his passion for winning was what made him special as a player with Indiana.

After he decided to sign with Charlotte in 2014 he became a totally different player and was never the same. He could not handle the pressure in Charlotte and got traded away to Los Angeles to play with the Clippers. The Clippers were not happy with him on the roster so they traded him to Memphis and in 2016 decided to sign with the Pelicans. Finally, after a 10-day contract with the Timberwolves, Stephenson joined Indiana again. In the 2016-2017 season, he averaged 6.8 points and 3.3 assists per game.

Paul George

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PG-13 was one of the biggest storylines this off-season as he was traded away to Oklahoma City to join forces with Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder. Paul George was the most talented player in the 2013 Indiana Pacers team and has already proved that he is a star in the NBA and has had the better career out of his 2013 Pacer teammates. Even after his injury, George came back stronger than ever and led Indiana in scoring for consecutive years, but they weren’t amongst the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

He was loved by the fans, he loved this city but he wanted to win and this is the main reason he got traded away to OKC. In the 2013 Conference Finals against LeBron, the 23-year old at the time George led Indiana to six wins as he averaged 19.4 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. In 2017, George is 27-years of age and is ready to take on another, bigger challenge which is to challenge the Warriors and compete for his first NBA championship.

David West

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David West’s experience in 2013 was huge for Indiana. Against Miami he guarded Chris Bosh and also averaged 16.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and contributed a lot, in many ways in the team’s success. West remained in Indiana for three years and in 2015 he decided to sign with the Spurs to win a title. The title did not come in San Antonio and so West joined the Warriors on July 2016. In June, David West helped the Warriors win their second title in three years against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On July 25th, 2017 West re-signed with the Warriors and is now ready to begin his 15th season in the NBA.

West came off the bench for coach Kerr and provided some important minutes for the Warriors. His experience on and off the court and his winning mentality are what the Warriors gained through West’s signing. With the Warriors, he averaged 12.3 minutes per game and 4.6 points.

Roy Hibbert

Three years ago, Roy Hibbert was one of the best centers in the NBA as he had great averages, used his body to bully smaller defenders in the paint, finish floaters, and hook shots but also knocked down important free-throws. In 2013 against Miami he was the leading scorer of the Pacers’ team as he averaged 22.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

In 2014 Hibbert continued to be a great player, but in 2015/2016 Hibbert changed was never the same. He was then traded to the Lakers and participated in 81 games but his 5.9 points per game he averaged, were the lowest of his career. Moreover, Hibbert bounced around the NBA and finally was traded again to Denver in 2017, where he played in six games. In the 2016-2017 season Hibbert averaged 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game with Charlotte and Denver. Currently Hibbert is still a free-agent.